week in art holiday party edition

This article from Artnet News recaps a series of holiday parties and galas in the New York art world during December 2016. Highlights include the New York Botanical Garden's 18th Annual Winter Wonderland Ball, attended by Anne Hathaway, Tinsley Mortimer, and Andrew Warren; artnet's own holiday party featuring the Bumbys and a magician; ACRIA's 21st Annual Holiday Dinner honoring the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation and actress Judith Light; and Project for Empty Space's Winter Bacchanal Benefit, which presented the first Badass Art Woman Awards to curators Rujeko Hockley, Rocio Aranda-Alvarado, and Deana Haggag.

artists gallery representation

Many artists are rethinking traditional gallery representation, seeking not just sales but also help with copyrights, visibility, and partnerships. Flexible co-representation arrangements are on the rise, with major galleries like Hauser & Wirth launching initiatives like Collective Impact to co-represent rising artists alongside their smaller founding galleries. Some artists are joining agencies or representing themselves, driven by social media's past ability to build direct collector relationships, though its power has recently declined due to algorithm changes.

paint drippings art industry news jun 2

This week's art industry roundup covers major personnel shifts, fair announcements, and institutional news. Phillips named Robert Manley chairman for Modern and contemporary art and Miety Heiden chairman for private sales after the departures of Cheyenne Westphal and Jean-Paul Engelen. Art Basel Paris announced 203 galleries for its October fair at the Grand Palais, while Kiaf Seoul will host 176 exhibitors in September. Tony Karman is stepping down as director of Expo Chicago after 14 years. Pace Gallery added Friedrich Kunath, Galerie Nordenhake signed Naufus Ramírez-Figueroa, and Sylvia Kouvali now represents Luigi Zuccheri. Ariel Pittman is launching a new Los Angeles gallery, Official Welcome. The Louvre will return 258 works from Adèle de Rothschild's bequest to the Fondation des Artistes. President Trump dismissed Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery director Kim Sajet over DEI support, though his authority is questioned. The Centre Pompidou announced a new $240 million outpost in Brazil. The Art Institute of Chicago confirmed director James Rondeau will return after a flight incident. The Pérez Art Museum Miami appointed Karen H. Bechtel as board president. Frieze and Deutsche Bank detailed their 2025 Emerging Curators Fellowship. A rare Gustav Klimt portrait of an African prince was offered for €15 million.

7 yayoi kusama works to know

Artnet News profiles seven key works by Yayoi Kusama, tracing her career from the 1960s to the present. The article highlights her iconic pieces such as *Narcissus Garden* (1966), a guerrilla installation at the Venice Biennale where she sold mirrored spheres, and *Death of a Nerve* (1976), a soft sculpture reflecting her emotional struggles after returning to Japan. It also notes her early life, including her traumatic childhood, move to New York, and friendships with artists like Georgia O'Keeffe and Joseph Cornell.

the appraisal jack whitten

The article reports on the Museum of Modern Art's retrospective "Jack Whitten: The Messenger," which runs through August 2 and features 175 works including paintings, sculpture, and archival materials. Curator Michelle Kuo describes Whitten's "endless innovation," noting that art handlers were astonished by his pioneering techniques. Whitten, who died in 2018 at age 78, moved from Alabama to New York in 1960, attended Cooper Union, and was influenced by jazz and figures like Willem de Kooning and Romare Bearden. The article also examines Whitten's art market, highlighting his auction record of $2.66 million for "Special Checking" (1974) at Sotheby's in 2019, and noting that while prices are rising, his work remains undervalued compared to peers like Gerhard Richter.

kenny schachter new york fair auction recap

Kenny Schachter's article for Artnet News draws a parallel between President Jimmy Carter's 1977 energy-crisis plea to lower thermostats and the current art-market response to Trump-era tariff turmoil. He reports that the spring 2025 auction cycle generated $1.25 billion, continuing a decade-long decline from the 2014 peak, with bidders spending less and big-ticket sellers stuck. Schachter also promotes his own no-reserve auction, "Hoarder #6," scheduled for July 8–17 at Phillips, and critiques Trump's economic policies and crypto ventures, name-dropping Justin Sun as a major holder of $Trump tokens.

newsmakers takashi murakami gagosian cleveland

Takashi Murakami opened his latest exhibition, “JAPONISME → Cognitive Revolution: Learning from Hiroshige,” at Gagosian New York, building on a 2024 presentation at the Brooklyn Museum. A second show, “Stepping on the Tail of a Rainbow,” opens later this month at the Cleveland Museum of Art, expanding on a 2022 iteration at the Broad in Los Angeles with new works and a monumental installation reimagining a Japanese Buddhist temple. In an interview with ARTnews, Murakami discusses his process of copying historical works—from Hiroshige’s ukiyo-e prints to Monet and Van Gogh—as a method of cultural excavation, incorporating UFOs as symbols of awareness.

who is marlene dumas highest selling living woman artist

At a Christie’s New York 21st-century art sale, Marlene Dumas’s painting *Miss January* (1997) sold for $13.6 million with premium, setting a new auction record for the most expensive artwork by a living woman artist. The work, estimated at $12–18 million, narrowly surpassed the previous record of $12.4 million held by Jenny Saville since 2018. Dumas, a 71-year-old South African painter based in Amsterdam, has built a steady market over decades, with her galleries carefully managing her work to avoid speculation.

dynamo room uffner lius frieze wet paint

Artnet News's 'Wet Paint' gossip column reports from Frieze Week in New York, noting a prevailing cultural pessimism fueled by essays on the death of culture and the impact of the second Trump administration. Amidst this, Jeff Koons's 'Hulk Elvis' sculptures at Gagosian's Frieze booth (priced at $3 million each, with one sold) offered a perverse relief. The column also highlights the second edition of the Esther art fair at the Estonian House, described as an 'aura fair' prioritizing community and a welcoming environment over strict commercial focus, contrasting with the more predictable Frieze fair.

10 Practical Reasons We Need to Defend the National Endowment for the Arts

10 practical reasons need fund defend national endowment arts

President Donald Trump's administration has renewed efforts to defund the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), proposing for the fourth consecutive year a budget that would zero out the agency. The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank that has staffed the current administration, continues to promote its 1997 report 'Ten Good Reasons to Eliminate Funding for the National Endowment for the Arts' as a key reference in debates. This article, originally published in 2020 and republished in response to these developments, systematically rebuts each of the Heritage Foundation's arguments against the NEA, beginning with the claim that private support alone is sufficient.

from artemisia gentileschi in paris to yoshitomo naras u k debut 9 must see european museum shows in 2025

Artnet News highlights nine must-see European museum exhibitions opening in 2025, spanning from Amsterdam to Zurich. Featured shows include Noah Davis's first U.K. museum survey at the Barbican in London, a dual Anselm Kiefer exhibition at the Van Gogh Museum and Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, Tracey Emin's first major Italian retrospective at Palazzo Strozzi in Florence, and a dedicated Artemisia Gentileschi show at Musée Jacquemart-André in Paris. Other notable exhibitions cover Marlene Dumas, Yayoi Kusama, and Yoshitomo Nara, among others.

paint drippings art industry news may 12

This week's art industry roundup covers major auction activity, including Christie's $250 million sale of Barnes and Noble founder Len Riggio's collection, and Sotheby's postponement of an ancient Buddhist gemstone auction after criticism from academics and India's Ministry of Culture. Frieze New York, recently sold to Ari Emanuel, reported strong sales with a $3 million Jeff Koons sculpture at Gagosian, while Gagosian's TEFAF New York booth featuring Anna Weyant's jewelry-themed paintings sold out. Other news includes Céline Assimon's appointment as chief commercial officer at Bonhams, the Spring Break Art Show's return, and gallery representation changes.

3 million jeff koons hulk sells on buoyant first day at frieze new york

At the VIP opening of Frieze New York on Wednesday, dealers reported strong sales despite economic uncertainty from Trump administration policies and trade war threats. The fair, recently sold to Hollywood powerhouse Ari Emanuel, returned to the Shed in Hudson Yards with 67 exhibitors. Gagosian Gallery generated the most buzz, selling one of three Jeff Koons Incredible Hulk sculptures—polychromed steel works priced around $3 million each—and placing a hold on another. Other notable sales included works by Tuan Andrew Nguyen, Tomie Ohtake, Sheila Hicks, Liza Lou, and Gertrude Abercrombie, with galleries like James Cohan, Galeria Nara Roesler, Thaddaeus Ropac, Karma, and Hauser & Wirth reporting brisk business.

may 2025 art auctions consignors

The article previews the upcoming May 2025 marquee art auctions in New York, led by Christie's, Sotheby's, and Phillips. Key consignors include the collection of late Barnes & Noble founder Leonard Riggio and his wife Louise, along with works from Anne and Sid Bass, Tiqui Atencio, Daniella Luxembourg, the estate of Barbara Gladstone, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Notable lots include Dorothea Tanning's 'Endgame' (est. $1M–$1.5M), Robert Motherwell's 'Elegy to the Spanish Republic No. 160' (est. $3.5M–$5.5M), and Andy Warhol's 'Big Electric Chair' (est. $30M). The article also reveals undisclosed consignors through research, such as the family of Harold and Gertrud Parker for the Tanning work and the Hess Art Collection for the Motherwell.

asia rising morgan stanley artnet

Artnet News and Morgan Stanley have collaborated on a report analyzing the art market's recovery after COVID-19, with a focus on Asia's emergence as a powerful engine. Using data from the Artnet Price Database and Artnet Analytics, the report shows that China (including Hong Kong) has become a dominant force, overtaking the U.S. and U.K. in fine-art auction sales. By 2020, China reclaimed the top-selling global fine-art auction market position, and as of mid-2021, it remains neck and neck with the U.S. The report also examines the role of Hong Kong, which has consistently contributed over 40% of China's fine-art sales, driven by its unique economic policies and integration into the global art market.

the venice biennale spotlights the market for latin american art

The Venice Biennale, often called the 'Olympics of the art world,' is spotlighting Latin American art in its 2024 edition. Curated by Adriano Pedrosa, director of the São Paulo Museum of Art and the first South American and openly queer person to hold the role, the exhibition titled 'Foreigners Everywhere' features over 330 artists, with more than 80 having ties to Latin America—about 24 percent of the show, up from 11 percent in 2022. The article examines the market for Latin American art, noting that while auction records exist (e.g., Frida Kahlo's $34.9 million painting), total auction volume for Latin American artists has declined from $388.3 million in 2015 to $245.5 million last year, reflecting a specialized market dominated by a few internationally recognized figures.

emily fisher landau sothebys results

Sotheby's held a landmark evening auction on November 8 featuring 31 works from the collection of Emily Fisher Landau, a noted art patron who amassed around 1,200 works over 102 years. The sale achieved $406.4 million, surpassing its pre-sale estimate of $344.5–$430.1 million and becoming the most valuable auction dedicated to a female collector in history. Highlights included Pablo Picasso's *Femme à la montre* (1932), which sold for $139 million—the second-highest price for a Picasso at auction—and record-breaking results for Agnes Martin's *Grey Stone II* ($18.7 million), Mark Tansey's *Triumph Over Mastery II* ($11.8 million), and Jasper Johns's *Flags* (1986) ($41 million). Other notable sales included works by Cy Twombly, Ed Ruscha, and Andy Warhol's portrait of Landau.

Marian Goodman’s Prized $65 Million Collection Lands at Christie’s

Christie’s has announced the sale of the private collection of the late legendary art dealer Marian Goodman, who passed away in January at age 97. Estimated to bring in approximately $65 million, the collection is headlined by a group of significant works by Gerhard Richter, an artist Goodman championed for four decades. The centerpiece of the auction is Richter’s 1982 painting "Kerze (Candle)," which carries a high estimate of $50 million and will lead a series of dedicated sales in New York this May.

Robert Mnuchin's $85.7m Rothko leads Sotheby's $407.5m auction in New York

Sotheby's evening auction in New York on May 13, 2025, realized $407.5 million ($433.1m with fees), led by Mark Rothko's "Brown and Blacks in Reds" (1957) from the collection of the late dealer Robert Mnuchin, which sold for $74m ($85.7m with fees). The sale opened with all eleven lots from Mnuchin's collection achieving a 'white glove' result, totaling $140.7m ($166.3m with fees), and continued with a mixed-vendor contemporary section that added $223m ($266.8m with fees), setting four new artist records.

Bruno Bischofberger, Art Dealer of Stars Like Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat, Dies at 86

Bruno Bischofberger, the legendary Swiss art dealer who championed American artists like Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat in Europe, has died at age 86. His Zurich-based gallery announced his death on Saturday. Bischofberger founded his eponymous gallery in 1963, which became one of Switzerland's most important blue-chip art spaces. He forged deep personal and professional relationships with artists, including acquiring a stake in Warhol's Interview magazine, producing Warhol's film L'amour, and famously proposing the collaborative paintings between Warhol and Basquiat in 1984. Bischofberger also maintained a decades-long tradition of placing advertisements on the back page of every Artforum issue.

5 Under-Recognized Artists Getting Their Due in New York This Season

The article highlights five under-recognized artists whose exhibitions are on view in New York this season, focusing on Domenico Gnoli at Lévy Gorvy Dayan and Raquel Rabinovich at Hutchinson Modern and Contemporary. Gnoli, an Italian painter who died in 1970, is known for his pallid, claustrophobic depictions of everyday subjects, while Rabinovich, who died at 102 in January 2026, created somber minimalist paintings exploring silence and withholding. The piece notes that New York galleries often use the pre-fair period to showcase less prominent artists of great promise.

Shreg the green ogre, a grey obsessive and Vermeer’s boiled egg – the week in art

This week's art roundup from The Guardian highlights a range of exhibitions across the UK, including Bruce Asbestos's 'Bootleg Shreg 2' at Exeter Phoenix Gallery, a playful show featuring a green ogre that parodies copyright rules. Other notable shows include Roy Oxlade's primitive paintings at Alison Jacques, May Morris's craft legacy at Lady Lever Art Gallery, a 30-year anniversary group show at Timothy Taylor, and Alan Charlton's monochrome grey works at Annely Juda Fine Art. The article also features an image of a naturally sculpted rock on Kangaroo Island, a review of the Turner Prize nominees, and a masterwork analysis of Vermeer's 'The Guitar Player' at Kenwood House, which was stolen in the 1970s and recovered with the help of a clairvoyant.

can slimmed down expo chicago still throw weight around

The 15th edition of Expo Chicago, scheduled for April 9–12, marks a significant transition as the fair's first outing under new director Kate Sierzputowski and its third since being acquired by Frieze. The upcoming edition features a streamlined roster of approximately 130 galleries, a 25 percent decrease from previous years. While blue-chip giants like Gagosian and Zwirner are absent, the fair maintains a strong lineup including Karma, Michael Rosenfeld Gallery, and local mainstays like Monique Meloche, complemented by satellite events and a high-profile benefit directed by Maurizio Cattelan.

art basel paris 2

Art Basel Paris is undergoing a major transformation for its third edition, officially rebranding from 'Paris+ par Art Basel' and moving into the newly renovated Grand Palais. The historic venue, fresh from a $500 million restoration, allows the fair to expand its footprint by 26 percent, hosting 194 galleries compared to last year's 154. The move includes the opening of the ornate balconies for emerging galleries and a new sector called Premise, signaling the fair's transition from a successful 'preamble' to a permanent fixture in the French capital.

The Business of KAWS: What Data and a Museum Show Reveal About His Market

The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) is currently hosting a major survey of KAWS, marking the final stop of a three-city tour that highlights the artist's unique blend of commercial savvy and institutional ambition. The exhibition features a range of works from diamond-encrusted sculptures for Kid Cudi to a 'genius' membership drive that sold 1,000 KAWS-branded museum memberships at $300 each. Despite a significant cooling in his auction results—dropping from a 2019 peak of $112.9 million to just $7.72 million last year—the artist continues to draw massive crowds, particularly among younger demographics.

Megamurals, Guerrilla Girls and something rotten in the Oval Office – the week in art

The Guardian's weekly art roundup highlights several exhibitions, including Wilhelm Sasnal's politically charged paintings at Sadie Coles HQ in London, a Joan Eardley retrospective in Edinburgh, and a Guerrilla Girls show in East Sussex. It also reports on Art UK's digitization of over 6,700 UK murals, the theft of Impressionist paintings from an Italian museum, and the discovery of a stolen ancient gold helmet.

bob rennie national gallery of canada donation 24 artworks

Vancouver-based collector Bob Rennie and his family have donated 24 significant contemporary artworks to the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa. The gift features a major installation by Kerry James Marshall titled 'Wake' (2003–25), alongside works by Brian Jungen, Jin-me Yoon, and 17 pieces by Christopher Williams, marking the latter's debut in the museum's permanent collection.

Paint Drippings: Art Industry News November 21

paint drippings art industry news nov 21

The Philadelphia Museum of Art has appointed Daniel H. Weiss, former head of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, as its new director and CEO to provide stability following the controversial dismissal of Sasha Suda. The transition occurs amid a legal battle, with the museum filing court documents alleging Suda misappropriated funds and falsified records. Meanwhile, the auction market saw a historic moment at Sotheby’s, where Gustav Klimt’s 'Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer' sold for $236.4 million, setting a new record for the artist and becoming the most expensive Modern work ever sold at auction.

israeli artist doron langberg addresses atrocities gaza

Israeli artist Doron Langberg is launching his first New York exhibition in seven years at Jeffrey Deitch’s Tribeca gallery, marking a significant shift in his practice. Known primarily for "New Queer Intimism" and domestic portraits, Langberg’s new body of work pivots toward monumental landscapes that grapple with his Jewish identity and the destruction in Gaza. The exhibition features works inspired by his family’s Holocaust history in Ukraine, used as a lens to process current geopolitical violence.

roberts projects esmaa mohamoud cristin tierney debbi kenote

The art world saw significant roster changes and leadership appointments this week, including Roberts Projects announcing representation of Esmaa Mohamoud and Cristin Tierney adding Debbi Kenote. Notable institutional moves include Charles Chemin being named Artistic Director of the Watermill Center and Julia Siemon stepping into a newly created Deputy Director role at the Bard Graduate Center. Additionally, the mid-season auction market showed unexpected strength, highlighted by Jeff Koons’s 'Winter Bears' selling for $7.6 million at Christie’s.